Thursday Night Magic

Fargo, ND - Thursday night brought plenty of excitement as postseason basketball continued in Class A Region 1, and Prep Hoops Dakotas was in the stands to catch the action. We arrived in time for the second half of the Region 1 Third-place game between Wahpeton and Valley City, followed by the Championship showdown between Oak Grove and Central Cass.   Congratulations to the Wahpeton Huskies for securing Third place and earning their spot in Saturday's Challenge Game. A big shoutout also goes to the Central Cass Squirrels, who captured the Region 1 Championship and punched their ticket to the Big Dance!   Below you'll find player comments, standout performances, and baller notes from the night as we highlight the hoopers who caught our attention. The All–Region 1 Team was also announced, and we've included the full list below.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/ClassABasketball.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/ClassABasketball.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-3178806" style="width:299px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   All-Region 1 Team   [player_tooltip player_id='1651914' first='Easton' last='Holland'], [player_tooltip player_id='1925132' first='Kash' last='Lorenz'], [player_tooltip player_id='2417308' first='Andrew' last='Ziemer'], [player_tooltip player_id='1484338' first='Brooks' last='Bakko'], [player_tooltip player_id='2573805' first='Eli' last='Maack'], [player_tooltip player_id='1632736' first='Gabe' last='Whipple'], [player_tooltip player_id='1541300' first='Cameron' last='Cordero'], [player_tooltip player_id='2277851' first='Hayden' last='Enger'], [player_tooltip player_id='2276696' first='Brooks' last='Crockett'], [player_tooltip player_id='1547231' first='Myles' last='Froehlich'], [player_tooltip player_id='2237763' first='Aidan' last='Saunders'], [player_tooltip player_id='2411681' first='Ryder' last='Soper'], [player_tooltip player_id='2055924' first='Miken' last='Mattson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2339217' first='Jack' last='Gilbertson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens']   Coach of the Year: Kyle Card (Oak Grove)   Senior Athlete of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens']   Thursday Night Magic   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2302277" style="width:308px;height:auto" /></a></figure>    -13 points   -Interior score early   -Deep 3-ball, swish in the 1st quarter   -Looks to be an emotional and confident ball player   -Fouled after a made 3-pointer, hit the FT for a rare 4-point play   -Took a charge   -Another triple, this one in the 3rdQ   -Showed good footwork when attacking/finishing     -18 points & 6 rebounds   -Best player on the court in the Championship   -Lead guard & salty defender, scored from multiple levels   -Great rebounder for a young PG   -Hustled after boards and loose balls   -Slash & score early for the first CC points   -Sharp reactions for a steal   -Sick inside-out move to break the D   -Cashed a triple   -Another O-board   -Hustled back on D, broke up a pass like a safety in football   -No-look dime in transition, unselfish & skilled   -Dribble drive, hesi-move, lefty inside-hand score late 2ndQ   -Baseline drive, contested score, got the shooters touch roll   -Sharing the rock & finding the open man   -Impressive transition plays   -Pesky D, poke the ball out of a dribblers hands   -Another steal   -Drilled an inside-out triple   -Deep slash, jump-stop, strong point-blank finish over 2 Grovers   -Great 2-foot finisher   -Sneaky steal & blocked a shot   -Sharp assist to Buhr for a triple to start the 3rdQ   -Drive & score in the 3rd   -Cashed a 3ball from the top of the key   -Showed a killer hesi-move   -Multiple drive & kick assists, outstanding vision     -A thick & strong bulldog of a player   -Battled in the paint   -Multiple O-boards, fought for position   -Selfless inside-out assist to Ziemer for a triple   -Strong catch & score on the block   -Aggressive & physical   -Hard-working role player     -26 points & 4 triples   -14 points at halftime   -Shooting it really well from the 3-point arc   -Transition push, beautiful kiss off the glass, soft running scoop-score   -Unselfish passing in fastbreak situations   -Easy-does-it shooting stroke from 3   -Elite slasher & finisher   -Fast transition score in the 4th   -HARD to keep him in front, so good off the bounce   -Region 1 Senior Athlete of the Year     -Nice-sized lefty with some athleticism   -Grabbed O-boards   -Put in a layup to start the 2nd quarter   -AND1 finish in the 2nd, scores through contact   -Took a charge   -Knocked down a catch & shoot jumper   -BLOB score, buzzer beater     -Always impressed with his effort and hustle   -Plays his heart out, especially on defense & always takes a top dog   -Smooth lay-in score in transtion   -Fast, noteworthy athlete, moves very well   -Showed creativity with a hard baseline slash & reverse layup attempt, fouled   -Got to the line multiple times throughout the game   -Active & aggressive baller   -Smart player late to save a possession, threw the ball at a Huskie who was OOB     -8 points, 4 rebounds   -Multiple blocked shots, good timing/anticipation   -Came over on help-side D and swatted a shot   -Point-blank score from the R-block   -O-board in traffic   -I wish he had gotten the ball more, did not get many touches in 2nd half     -24 points   -13 points at halftime   -Cashed in a turnaround J to start 2nd half, sfot shot, looked like an old-man move, crafty   Big/strong, physically advanced for a soph   -Got to the line often, great at drawing contact   -Very tough slashing downhill   -Easy breakaway score   -More FT's   -Drive, body control score, bank-shot bucket, D right in his face, still hit it   -Must have excellent concentration, many contested scores   -Smart swing assist to Steffens for a triple   -Another tough slash & score, aggressive/physical for a 10th grader   -     -Scored from multiple levels   -Fast going up & down the court   -Scored in transition, runs the floor well   -I liked his hustle, dove on the floor for loose balls   -Long/lanky   -Hit a 3ball, catch & shoot to start the 4th, Ziemer with the assist   -Sick drive & dish in the 4th     -Threat from behind the arc, hit multiple 3's   -Cashed a 3 early in the 3rdQ   -Hit another three-pointer in the third quarter   -Active hands on defense, deflected passes     -No question that he is very skilled   -Looked good scoring in transition   -Did not have a lot of open looks, good to see him moving the rock, finding open teammates, did not force   -Swished a triple from the left wing   -Slash & score in the 3rd, sweet finish   -Silky smooth pull-up triple in the 4th, tough to stop that   -Hustled for a long O-board     -12 points, 4 triples   -Long/slim shooter   -Spaces & spreads the D, keeps them honest, if he gets room, you will pay 3pts at a time   -Tip-steal using his long arms   -Had an impressive 3rd quarter, multiple 3's   -Stole the ball, blocked shots, rebounded, dish assists   -Top of key triple to start the 2nd half   -DEEP 3-pointer from the R-wing   -Back-to-back 3's to start the 3rd   -blocked a shot from behind the offense   -Took a charge   -Hit another triple in the 3rd   -Microwave     -5 points at half, finished with 10 I believe   -Eye-catching alley-oop transition finish, caught the rock going full speed, great body control lay-in   -Cashed a triple from the right wing in the 4th quarter     -Impressed again with his length, long arms, and athleticism   -I still don't understand why he doesn't play more, he was on the bench for long stretches of the game   -Dished some nice passes when attacking   -Drew fouls & got to the line   -Cashed a tough pull-up J, no stopping his middy   -Stops on a dime & elevates over the D   -Hit another pull-up J, hand in the face, no problem   -Potential is just oozing out of this kid     -15 points   -1st score of the contest, got a pass after the tip-off & scored   -Hit a 3-ball buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, long-range shot   -Shot a ton of FT's he was at the charity stripe many times   -Got a shooters touch roll on many occasions   -OG picked his to shoot technical foul FT's, so they trust him from the line   -Drilled a jumper just before the shot-clock buzzer sounded   -At the line more times, wow, he drew a lot of fouls    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1126976" /></a></figure>

Fargo, ND - Thursday night brought plenty of excitement as postseason basketball continued in Class A Region 1, and Prep Hoops Dakotas was in the stands to catch the action. We arrived in time for the second half of the Region 1 Third-place game between Wahpeton and Valley City, followed by the Championship showdown between Oak Grove and Central Cass.